Good afternoon, everyone. The Green Bay Packers are looking to rebound from an embarrassing loss in Week 1. Thankfully, they get to face the Chicago Bears on Sunday night at the friendly confines of Lambeau Field. Obviously, I will go over what the Packers need to do on all sides of the ball in order to win. Before I start though, I want to say that, above all, the Packers need to be more energetic and hopeful. They can’t be lifeless in front of the Lambeau faithful. With that out of the way, let’s get started.
On offense, the Packers need to rely on two players in particular: the running back duo of Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon. These two players need to get 30-40 touches combined, not just in the ground game, but in the passing game as well. With the offensive line struggling to protect Aaron Rodgers without David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins (who I hope come back soon) and Rodgers and the receivers still trying to get used to each other, the running backs should be the workhorses for the offense. Yes, I know that the offense can’t just use Jones and Dillon the whole game, but I think that they are better when the backs are carrying the load. Elsewhere on offense, I’m sure that they will be more comfortable this week getting their play calls precisely. Aaron Rodgers needs to get rid of the ball in rhythm more than he did on Sunday. I do understand that he wanted to get a shot play, and that some receivers (including rookie Christian Watson) are getting open. But if it’s not there, just check it down or throw it away to live another down instead of taking a sack. The offensive line needs to do their part in protecting Rodgers and creating running lanes without blocking each other. I hope that Christian Watson gets redemption for the wide open dropped touchdown last week. Every receiver on offense needs to make a good contribution, especially on both run and pass plays. I have faith in Romeo Doubs, Watson, Randall Cobb, (hopefully) Allen Lazard, the running backs and the tight ends (Robert Tonyan, Marcedes Lewis, Josiah Deguara). It’s important for the Packers offense to have long drives that end with a touchdown instead of a field goal or turnover (especially in the red zone). When they get to a goal line situation, they can’t do a run off of shotgun. If they do a run at the goal line, then it should be from the I-formation with a lead blocker for the running back. I hope that the offense scores at least 30 points on the Bears defense.
On defense, the key is to make the Bears offense one-dimensional. Not only do they need to limit RB David Montgomery, but they need to limit the opportunities for QB Justin Fields to scramble away from potential sacks. The most important thing to do with mobile quarterbacks (including Fields) is for the defensive front to keep them in the pocket. I have no doubt that Rashan Gary, Kenny Clark, Preston Smith, and the rest of the defensive front will keep Fields in check. With him being a second year QB, Fields will still be prone to making mistakes with the ball, including throwing interceptions. The pass rush needs to force him to making those mistakes early and often. The defensive backs (including Rasul Douglas, Jaire Alexander, Eric Stokes, Adrian Amos, and Darnell Savage) need to do their part and catch each potential interception thrown by Fields. In cases where the pass rush is unable to get to him, the DBs need to cover the receivers well and not allow any wide open catches. Last week, part of the reason for Justin Jefferson getting 9 catches for 184 yards and 2 touchdowns for Minnesota was due to the defense playing a bit too much zone when they should have played man on him. If the defense plays more man on Sunday night, then there should not be that type of performance by any receiver from the Bears. Most importantly, the defense needs to keep Chicago from sustaining long drives and force them to punt. Bonus points if they get a few turnovers out of it. I have confidence that Joe Barry’s unit will play much better in front of a loud Lambeau Field crowd.
On Special Teams, all the Packers need to do is to not make crucial mistakes that can give the Bears extra momentum. Last week, they played good, other than a couple of punts almost being blocked. To make sure every punt and field goal attempt is clean, the line needs to block the defense from getting to the punter/holder. Pat O’Donnell needs to continue punting balls deep into the opponent’s territory like he did last week. Mason Crosby needs to make each of his kicks (both field goals and PAT attempts). Jack Coco needs to snap each ball accurately and the holder needs to secure the ball. That way, Crosby is able to cleanly kick each ball. Whoever is the return man needs to make the most out of any kick/punt return opportunity. The key for him is to follow the blocks, evade defenders and run north instead of going left and right (plus backwards). If there’s not a chance, then he needs to fair catch the ball without fumbling it. On the other side, the coverage unit needs to keep the Bears from getting a long kick/punt return. The easiest way to avoid this situation is to kick each ball out of the end zone for a touchback and punt each ball deep into their territory and out of bounds. As long as they avoid silly blunders, the Packers should be fine on Special Teams.
Overall, I’m looking forward to the game on Sunday night. As long as they play with a whole bunch of energy and keep the crowd into it, they should win by at least 14 points. Most importantly, I pray that everyone on both teams don’t get seriously injured during this game. Win, lose, or tie, I’ll be here on Monday or Tuesday for my thoughts on how the game went. In the meantime, I hope you have a great weekend. Go Pack Go!
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